Tube-mill feeder.



T. W. OAPBN. TUBE MILL FEEDER.- APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 26, 1909.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

n/L A-TTDRNEY.

(21/4, dvk/M UNITED sTAtri s Fries.

THOMAS W. CAPEN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MES NE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO ALLIS-CHALMERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

TUBEMILL FEEDER.

all 2.0]: op! it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS W. CAPEN, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and Statev of Wisconsin, have invented a certain new and useful Tube-Mill Feeder, of which the following is a specification. This invention relates to improvements in the construction of feeding devices for tube mills.

I An object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient feeder for tube mills which can be cheaply but durably constructed.

Another object is to provide a feeder in which the range of variation in the amount of material being fed to the mill is a 'maxi mum.

Still another object is to provide a device which will operate equally well on all classes of material.

A clear conception of the invention can be obtained by referring to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters designate 'the same or similar parts in different views.

Figurel is a plan view of a tube mill feeder built according to the invention.

. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section of the device shown in Fig. 1 showing in addition, a bearing and fragment of an end head of a tube mill. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the feeder taken on the line IIIIII of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.

The hopper 3, see Figs. 1, 2, 3, formed in a the upper portion of the casing 15, has its discharge opening directed into the uppermost bucket 11 of the bucket wheel 2. The bucket. wheel 2 has a series of buckets 11 formed on its periphery and is keyed to the shaft 1. The shaft 1 has a. bearing in the casing 15 on one side of the bucket wheel 2, and a similar bearing in the cover plate 27 on the opposite side of the bucket wheel-2. The cover plate '27 is removably attached to the casing 15 and forms a closure for an opening int-he casing 15, which opening is large enough to permit the removal of the bucket wheel therethrough. The passage 1 in the lower portion of the casing 15 is directly below the lower bucket 11 of the bucket wheel 2.

The lower casing 13, which supports the casing 15, has an upwardly directed passage 40 registering with the passage 4 of the cas- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented F ch53. 1914.

Application filed November 26, 1909. Serial No. 529,935.

ing 15. The plates 5, see Fig. 3,1are slidably mounted between the casing 15 and the lower casing 13. The adjustingrod 7 s held in position relative tothe lower casing 13 by the collars 8,;whichcollars :8 are fixed to the rod 7 and shoulder against the casing 13. The outer ends of the rod 7 have screw threads formed thereon, these threads being right hand on one end and left hand on the opposite end of .the, rod ;7. The threaded ends of the rod 7 screw into tapped holes in the outer ends of the plates 5,so that as the rod 7 is turned, the plates 5 will move either toward or away from each other.

The conveyer feed screw '9 .-.which is formed in one with the feedershaft 10, is held concentric with the bushing 17 by the shaft 10, which shaft 10 has its hearings in the end head 28. The'shaft 10 has thrust collars 26 fastened to it, which collars 26 bear against vertical surfaces of the head 28. thus preventing end movement of the shaft '10. The end head 28 is removably attached to the lower casing 13 and forms a closure for an opening in the casing 13 large .enough to permit the removal of the'feed screw 9 therethrough.

The bushing 17 is fixed to the lower casing 13 and is concentricwith the tube mill trunnion 22. The .maj or portion of the outer surfaceof the bushing 17 is reduced in diameter so as not to find bearing, on the interior of the trunnion 22, but a slight portion of the exterior of the bushing 17 bearing within the trunnion. 22. A suitable packing and gland is placed between the trunnion 22 and the bushing 17 thus insuring a tight joint between the two members. The trunnion 22 which connects with the end head 23, is mounted in the bearing 24 and is held in place by abearing cap 21. The bearing 241 is supported by a pier 25. p

The gear 12 which is fixed to the tube mill trunnion 22 meshes with the gear 14 which is keyed to one end of the bucket wheel shaft 1. The gear 19is keyed to the opposite free end of the shaft 1 and meshes with between the bucket shaft 1 and the feeder shaft 10, and may be either cast or cut gears. If it is intended to have a number of sets of gears 19, 20,-t0 vary the speed of the feeder shaft 10, some simple gear removing arrangement should be supplied.

During the operation of the tube mill the tru/hnion :22 is given a rotary motion, carryrotary motion of the mill to the shaft 1 through gear 14. As the shaft- 1 rotates carrying with it the bucket Wheel 2, the consecutive buckets 11v of the bucket Wheel 2, are brought up to the discharge opening of the hopper 3. The material to be pulverized in the tube mill is fed into the hopper and lills the buckets 11 as they approach the discharge opening of the hopper 3. The buckets 11 after beingfilled are carried toward the passage i into which they eventually discharge their contents.

The rotary motion of the shaft 1 is transmitted to the feed shaft 10 through the gears '19, 2-0, the relative speeds of the two shail'ts 1, 10. depending upon the diameters of the gears 19, 20. The material being fed to the mill leaves the passage through the opening 6 between the plates 5 and is discharged into the feeder screw chamber through the passage T0. The rotation of the feed screw 9, through the medium of the shaft 10. causes the material entcrin through. the passage to be forced through the bushing 17 into the interior of the tube mill.

Since the conveyer feed screw 9 will con vey material in opposite directions for opposite directions of rotation, it is necessary,

upon changing the rotation of the mill, to'

replace the feed screw 9 by a feed screw of the opposite hand. The same feed screw 9 might be maintained in both cases if an in termcdiate be substituted between the i9. 2 in case of reversal of the mill,

but this construction is not shown in the present invention.

It will be noted that if it is desired to change the amount of material supplied to the mill, it is necessary only to c-hang'ethe amount of opening between'the plates 5 by mg with it the gear 12 which transmits the means of the screw. 7. 'Ifthe'pl-a-tes '5 are brought together, closing the opening 6 between the plates 5'entirely, the material being fed into the hopper 3 will fill the was sage 4 above the plates 5, and also the buckets 11 of the bucket Wheel 2. As the bucket Wheel 2 is rotated, the filled buckets 11 will not discharge their contents upon reaching the passage 4, but will carry same in a circular path.

If the speed of the conveyor feed screw 9 is insuthcient to prevent the material from work equally eflicient 011 all classes of material. and the construction is devoid of small mechanical elements such as ratohets and,

pa wls.

It should be understood that it is not desired to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. I

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent,-

111 a tube mill feeder, a hollow rotatable tube mill trunnion, a feeder extending within said hollow trunnion. a bucket wheel. means on one side of said bucket wheel for transmitting motion from said trunnion to said bucket wheel, and means on the other side of said bucket wheel for further transmitting said motion to said feeder.

In testimony whereof. I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS CAPEN.

Witnesses: v

Jenn DAY, J12. \V. H. LIEBER. 

